Shillong, Nov 5: Tourism Minister Paul Lyngdoh has reiterated the Meghalaya government’s position on the proposed Shillong Peak Ropeway project, stating that the initiative has already received the necessary permissions and clearances and cannot be rolled back after the agreements were formally signed.
Responding to the ongoing controversy surrounding the project, Lyngdoh, who was recently given back charge of the Tourism Department, said the proposal had been under consideration for several decades and was not a decision taken recently. Recalling the situation during the 1980s, he said visitors heading to Shillong Peak were often required to produce identification documents as they have to pass through Air Force land, while entry gates remained closed on several occasions. The difficulties faced by tourists had prompted calls for improved access to the popular destination.
He said the proposed ropeway would significantly ease the journey for visitors, with the travel time from Terminal 1 to the viewpoint expected to be around three minutes.
The minister spent a great deal of time going back over what has already been said by government officials, namely that the government had signed an agreement with the local dorbar in 2022, with a formal 30-year lease agreement penned in 2023. No-objection certificates (NOCs) had also been received by the Airports Authority of India and defence forces and land was acquired for compensatory reforestation in 2023.
He maintained that once the necessary agreements had been signed and formalised, withdrawing from the project was no longer a straightforward option.
Lyngdoh has previously hinted at a political angle to the opposition to the project and questioned why objections had not been raised before this year. He claimed that those opposing the initiative had not provided sufficient explanations beyond expressing their unwillingness to support it.
Expressing concern over the potential consequences of stopping the project, Lyngdoh warned that the issue could have implications far beyond the proposed ropeway. He said reversing decisions after agreements and clearances had been secured could undermine confidence in Meghalaya as a destination for investment.
According to him, such developments could make government agencies and private investors cautious about committing to future projects in the state. He added that the existing agreement did not provide for a cooling-off period during which the parties could revisit the project’s feasibility after a few months or years.
The state government had already had to cancel another tourism project on Lumpongdeng Island on Umiam Lake earlier this year following public opposition. The objections were led that time by Green-Tech Foundation (GTF), an organisation supporting the call for the ropeway to be moved away from Shillong Peak, again over environmental concerns.
On the environmental impact of the project, the minister cited a 2022 notification issued by the Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. He said an expert committee under the ministry had recognised aerial ropeways as an environmentally friendly transportation option.
Lyngdoh maintained that the project had followed the required approval process and cautioned that any attempt to discontinue it after the execution of formal agreements could have wider repercussions for Meghalaya’s development plans and its ability to attract future investments.
